# Gene Hardy > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gene_Hardy > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Gene_Hardy.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Hardy > Source revision: 1320259271 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Gene Hardy** is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. He performs on saxophone, violin, [musical saw](/source/Musical_saw) and [theremin](/source/Theremin). ## Career Hardy's early music training began in [Victoria, British Columbia](/source/Victoria,_British_Columbia)—first on violin at age 9, then on saxophone a year later. After studies at the [Victoria Conservatory of Music](/source/Victoria_Conservatory_of_Music) and [UVic](/source/UVic), he moved to [Toronto](/source/Toronto) in 1986. In 1988 he joined Canadian alternative rock band [Bourbon Tabernacle Choir](/source/Bourbon_Tabernacle_Choir).[1] After the Bourbon's break-up in the mid-1990s, he became the horn player for many of Canada's best known exports and domestic successes, recording and performing in the United States and Canada. He served as [Michael Bublé](/source/Michael_Bubl%C3%A9)'s musical director and featured soloist and is the latest addition to [Ronnie Hawkins](/source/Ronnie_Hawkins)' band, [The Hawks](/source/The_Hawks_(band)). From 2000 to 2005, Hardy was nominated as Horn Player of the Year at the Canada's [Maple Blues Awards](/source/Maple_Blues_Awards) in recognition of his extensive contributions to the [blues](/source/Blues) genre, both live and in the studio.[citation needed] He is also known as a session player on [musical saw](/source/Musical_saw), and has been featured on numerous recordings, including BNL's *[Born on a Pirate Ship](/source/Born_on_a_Pirate_Ship)* and Veda Hille's *Spine*. His saw playing can also be heard on jingles for an assortment of products and services including ads for Halls Cough Drops, Kia Cars, and Scott's Turfbuilder. A long awaited instrumental saw CD, entitled *Musical Saw Encounters*, is slated for release in early 2015. His newest group, The Pip Squeek Orchestra, described as a dixieland-band-on-steroids, debuts fall 2007 with a new CD and a line-up of players from [Vancouver](/source/Vancouver), Victoria and Toronto. To date, Hardy has released four CDs as a solo artist. He continues to travel, perform and record extensively, dividing his time between Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria and [New Orleans](/source/New_Orleans). ## Discography ### Solo albums - Gene Hardy & Sparkjiver – *Gene Hardy & Sparkjiver* (CD, 2000) - Gene Hardy & Sparkjiver – *FunkyBluesyJazzyChurchy* (CD, 2002) - Gene Hardy – *Blow!Blow!Blow!* (CD, 2004) - Gene Hardy & The Pip Squeek Orchestra – *Gene Hardy & The Pip Squeek Orchestra* (CD, 2007) ### Contributions - Bourbon Tabernacle Choir – *Sister Anthony* (1990) - Big Sugar – *[Big Sugar](/source/Big_Sugar_(album))* (1992) - Bourbon Tabernacle Choir – *Superior Cackling Hen* (1992) - Barenaked Ladies – *[Gordon](/source/Gordon_(album))* (1992) No. 1 CAN, US gold - Rheostatics – *[Whale Music](/source/Whale_Music_(album))* (1992) - Big Sugar – *[Five Hundred Pounds](/source/Five_Hundred_Pounds)* (1993) - Rheostatics – *[Music from The Motion Picture Whale Music](/source/Music_from_The_Motion_Picture_Whale_Music)* (1994) - Barenaked Ladies – *[Maybe You Should Drive](/source/Maybe_You_Should_Drive)* (1994) No. 175 US, No. 57 UK - Rheostatics – *[Introducing Happiness](/source/Introducing_Happiness)* (1994) - Bourbon Tabernacle Choir – *Shy Folk* (1995) - Barenaked Ladies – *[Born on a Pirate Ship](/source/Born_on_a_Pirate_Ship)* (1996) No. 111 gold U.S, No. 18 Canada - Veda Hille – *Spine* (1996) - Bourbon Tabernacle Choir – *Simply the Best 1985–1995* (2000) - Kevin Quain – *Tequila Vampire Matinee* (CD, 2000) - Neil Leyton – *Midnight Sun* (2003, Fading Ways) - Esthero – *[We R in Need of a Musical Revolution](/source/We_R_in_Need_of_a_Musical_Revolution)* (CD EP, 2004, Reprise Records) - Esthero – *[Wikked Lil' Grrrls](/source/Wikked_Lil'_Grrrls) Samplers (Version 1 & 2)* (CD, 2005, Warner Bros. Records) - Esthero – *[Wikked Lil' Grrrls](/source/Wikked_Lil'_Grrrls)* (CD, 2005, Warner Bros. Records) - Esthero – *Fastlane Remixes* (CD, 2005, Warner Bros. Records) - Dean Drouillard – *Dream at Harmony Motel* (CD, 2005) - Adam Warner – *No Place to Lay* (CD, 2006) - Kevin Quain – *Winter in Babylon* (CD, 2007) - Chuck Jackson – *A Cup of Joe* (CD, 2012, Linus Records) ## TV and film - [General Hospital](/source/General_Hospital) (TV series) - Ups And Downs (film) - [Colin James](/source/Colin_James) Presents the Blues Masters (TV special, 1997) - Hemingway Vs. Callahan (CBC mini-series, 2003) - [Take The Lead](/source/Take_The_Lead) (film, 2006) - Sounds Like Motown (documentary, 2007) - [Motown High](/source/Motown_High) (documentary, 2008) - Numerous appearances on [MuchMusic](/source/MuchMusic), 1990–present - The Being FRANK Show (TV talk / variety show, 2011–present) ## References 1. Myers, Paul (October 2003). [*Barenaked Ladies: Public Stunts, Private Stories*](https://books.google.com/books?id=uciFGfr9akMC&pg=PA77). Simon and Schuster. pp. 76–77. ISBN 978-0-7432-3835-9. ## External links - [Live performance by Gene Hardy & Sparkjiver](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV2Nb97aru0) on YouTube - [Gene Hardy](http://www.sonicbids.com/genehardy) on Sonicbids EPK --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gene Hardy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Hardy) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Hardy?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.